


The Call

by tonystarksass



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Pepper Potts & James Rhodes Friendship, Pepper Potts-centric, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-17
Updated: 2014-05-17
Packaged: 2018-01-25 11:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1647428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tonystarksass/pseuds/tonystarksass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The heartbreaking phone call that transpires between Pepper and Rhodey following Tony's disappearance in Afghanistan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Call

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during the first Iron Man movie! 
> 
> **Edit:** Slightly revamped/revised, September 2017.

A faint, incessant vibrating noise rudely interrupted Pepper’s sleeping mind. She sluggishly ignored the disturbance, burying her face deeper into the mass of pillows surrounding her head. 

The vibration seized momentarily, but before she could fully fall back asleep, the relentless buzzing continued. 

With a huff, Pepper sat up. Her head swam slightly as she blinked away the bleariness from her eyes. She rarely drank, but her friends had insisted on getting her good and drunk for her birthday celebration earlier that night. Some of it ended up seeping into her head, it seemed. 

She sighed and rubbed at her temples before looking over at her nightstand when the light emitting from her Blackberry caught her eye. There was only one person brave enough to call her at—Pepper's eyes flicked to the dimmed digital alarm clock behind her phone—4:34AM. 

Pepper could only assume Tony was calling to fill her in on how the weapons demonstration had transpired; the significant time difference between Afghanistan and California the last thing on his mind. 

She reached out from under the warmth her covers were providing and quickly grabbed her phone. The name “James Rhodes” blinked back at her. Well, she certainly hadn’t been expecting that. Her mind immediately jumped to a thousand and one conclusions on why he was calling, all having to do with her dear old boss. 

Pepper quickly unlocked the screen before her sleepiness and lack of organizational sharpness caused her to unnessarily panic (Tony wouldn’t take a jet for a joyride, right?). Placing her phone to her ear, she murmured a questioning “James?” 

“Pepper?” Rhodey’s voice scratched through her phone. “Oh, thank God you answered.” Pepper immediately picked up on the underlying distress and unease seeping through his tone. It woke her up more than anything could. 

“James, hi. Is everything alright?” Pepper asked, sitting up against her headboard as her senses gradually returned to their full functionality. She leaned over and clicked on her bedside lamp; light dimly flooded her room as she returned to her position against her headboard. 

“Pepper—“ Rhodey's voice cut out for a moment, the sounds of rumpling and indistinguishable murmuring took its place. Pepper’s heart was racing when he finally returned. “Hey. Still there?” 

“Yes, I’m here,” Pepper answered, “Are you and Tony alright?” 

Rhodey, never one to beat around the bush, responded with a firm “no.” 

Pepper’s heart dropped and the tight grip on her poor Blackberry increased immensely. Before she could question his one-word reply, Rhodey continued. 

“God, Pepper. Okay, on our way back to the base—uh, after the demonstration—our caravan was ambushed by what appeared to be a terrorist organization,” Rhodey rambled quickly, “The goal of their ambush was, well, _Tony_.” 

“Oh my God,” Pepper gasped, free hand flying to cover her mouth in disbelief. She suddenly felt extremely numb when the realization that _James_ was calling her and not _Tony_. Nor did she hear him cracking an inappropriate one-liner in the background. She took a shaky breath, “Is he—” 

Before she could finish, Rhodey interrupted, “I don’t know.” 

“What do you mean you don’t know?” 

“I _don’t know_. We haven’t—” Rhodey paused, “Shit, sorry. Hold on.” Pepper heard him yell various, muffled commands before his voice cracked through her speaker, again. “Jesus, sorry, Pepper. You still there?” 

“Where’s Tony?” Pepper asked, ignoring his question and fearing the worst. Tony couldn’t actually be, ya know. He was invincible; an unstoppable force of buzzing genius energy. Rhodey still hadn’t answered her question and her stomach dropped further. Truthfully, she wasn’t in the mood or right state-of-mind to vomit all over her comforter. “Where’s Tony, James?” 

With a shaky sigh, Rhodey finally answered. “He’s missing, Pepper." Another pause. “We have reason to believe that they—the, uh, terrorists—took him. I can’t say for sure if he’s okay, but, ya know.” Pepper heard Rhodey's voice crack and a couple tears cascaded down her cheeks. 

“I’m wrangling up a search team now,” Rhodey continued, “We’re not going to stop searching until we find him, okay? I-I promise.” 

Pepper remained quiet, a couple more tears staining her cheeks. Her entire body was numb again and, honestly, it was a miracle she was able to hold up her phone. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Tony, her boss and friend, missing on foreign land? Snatched up by a terrorist organization and for what—fame, ransom? Rhodey’s voice interrupted her thoughts. 

“Pepper?” You there?"

“Wha—Are you okay, James?” 

“Me? Oh, um, I guess so, yeah.” 

There was a long pause where neither of them said anything. The shakiness of each of their breaths filled each other’s ears before Rhodey broke the relative silence, “We’re gonna find him.” 

“Be careful,” Pepper told him, firmly. 

“I will.” 

“Don’t come home without him.” 

“I won’t. I promise,” Rhodey reassured her. An increased amount of frantic, murmured voices fluttered through her phone, again. “Hey, I’ve got to go, Pepper. I’ll keep you updated, okay?" 

“Thank you, James,” Pepper sniffed, “ _Please_ be careful.” 

“I will.” 

Pepper’s phone beeped, informing her that Rhodey had ended the call. She dropped the device onto the covers, slowly letting all of the information sink in. 

So, Tony was missing. Abducted by a terrorist organization. Injured, probably. Presumed dead, from what she gathered. 

Suddenly, it hit Pepper that she might not _ever_ see her boss—her best friend—ever again. If she felt like she wanted to throw up before, the sensation was more sickening than ever. 

She might not ever see that genuine smile he so rarely displayed or observe his beautiful mind in motion. She might not ever nurse another one of his hangovers or help shape his ridiculously amusing goatee. She might not ever walk into his shop to see him tinkering with an object he deemed needed improving, un-showered and buzzing with warm, unabashed concentration.

She might lose Tony Stark. Her employer, her boss, her best friend. Unprepared for them, violent sobs ripped through Pepper’s body. Heavy, ugly sobs. Sobs that would ache through her entire being for days to come. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she threw off her suddenly very constricting and much-too-warm comforter and covers.

Pepper wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand in an attempt to get ahold of herself, but the tears did not falter. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and buried her face in her hands. This couldn't be happening. This was _Tony_ for God's sake. He could smoothly talk his way out of _anything_.

Pepper sniffed. Through bleary eyes, she glanced over at her nightstand again. Propped up against her lamp, sat a card. An actual birthday card from Tony. She’d found it slid under the front door of her apartment with a large “P” inscribed on the outside of the envelope. 

According to Happy, Tony had bought the card himself and he simply delivered it after dropping him off at the airfield. Upon opening the card, Pepper discovered Tony’s scratchy handwriting and a message, which read: 

_  
P,_

_Happy Bday, Potts!_

_So, your birthday does happen to fall on the same day every year. What are the chances? Thanks for reminding me. What would I do without you? Honestly, I need you in my life A LOT more than I could ever put into words on this little card. Who designs these things, by the way? Super cheesy. I mean, sure, I picked out one that just so happened to have an actual pepper on the front, but hey. Does that make me a super cheeseball? Probably. It's cute though, come on._

_Anyways, I hope you had a good day. You drink, right? Sometimes? Well, we gotta go on a bender together one day. I bet you're a cute drunk. But yeah, a good day. You deserve that. And more, actually. You take such good care of me, Pep. Also, I have a present for you. Shocking, I know. I'll give it to ya when I get back from this little pow-wow in AF, okay? Don’t miss me too much._

_Yours,_

_T_

__  
Pepper read Tony’s card almost every day for the next three months, patiently waiting on that present he so eagerly promised. And really, the day he stepped off the plane—safe and warm and alive and _home_ —was enough of a present for her.


End file.
